New Energies Parish Transition Project

My Dear Brothers in Christ,

This fall it will be ten years since I was called to serve you as Archbishop of Newark. A few months after I arrived here, I came to the conclusion that the status quo of parish life in our Archdiocese could not be maintained. I then asked Monsignor William Harms to put together a task force that would come up with criteria for a healthy parish. After much hard work this task force produced the 28 principles of parish life that have guided the New Energies Parish Transition Project for the parishes of the Archdiocese of Newark.

In the beginning, we asked all parishes to reflect on these principles as they pertained to their own parish life, and then to enter into the New Energy process of evaluation and planning for the future. I am pleased that so many of our parishes have taken seriously their commitment to the goals of New Energies.